Before They Were Legends
by Lyria Padfoot
Summary: A series following a well-known group of Gryffindors. *COMPLETED*, rating to be safe. Title is bad, please read anyway. My first HP fanfic, so be nice, and don't bash my 2 invented characters! PLEASE R/R!!
1. Meetings

Part 1: Meetings  
  
(First Year at Hogwarts)  
  
It took them a while to get through the barrier and away from their parents, but finally Lyria and Casilda Strider were on the Hogwarts Express, searching for a compartment.  
  
"May we sit with you?" Lyria asked the solitary red-haired girl in the compartment.  
  
"Oh, sure!" she replied, relief evident in her expression. "I'm Lily Evans."  
  
"I'm Lyria Strider."  
  
"And I'm Cassi. We're twins," Cassi explained. It actually needed explaining, for the two didn't look much alike at all. Lyria was possessed of short brown curls, while Cassi had long straight blonde hair, although both had the same blue-gray eyes. "And if we're like the rest of the family, we'll be in Gryffindor."  
  
"I don't know where I'll be," Lily said softly, sounding wistful.  
  
"You have Muggle parents?" Lyri asked. Lily nodded. "That must be weird, I mean, all of a sudden finding out you're a witch."  
  
"I'm afraid I'll be behind and won't know anything," Lily confessed.  
  
"Don't worry, Cass won't know anything either," Lyria teased, ignoring her twin's indignant yelp. "And it doesn't matter to us that you're Muggle-born. There's some who'll have something to say—"  
  
"—But that kind always do," Cassi finished.  
  
At that precise moment, a boy with longish black hair came flying into the compartment, followed by another black-haired boy.  
  
"Hide us!" The first yelped as a third boy, this one with brown hair and watery blue eyes, ran into the compartment. "We've got that greasy idiot's wand!"  
  
"Hide somewhere else, Sirius Black!" Lyria snapped. "We aren't even at Hogwarts yet and you're starting trouble!"  
  
"Well, Dad says to pick one thing and do it well," he smirked.  
  
"Make sure yours doesn't get you expelled," Lyria suggested.  
  
The other black haired boy, who wore glasses, said, "We might as well have a seat."  
  
"Make yourself at home," Cassi sighed as the three proceeded to do just that.  
  
"You could at least introduce yourselves!" Lyri fixed them all with a look.  
  
"But you know me," Sirius pointed out.  
  
"Sadly, yes," she muttered.  
  
The glasses-wearing boy spoke up. "I'm James Potter, that's Remus Lupin—" he pointed at the brown-haired boy who had taken up watch at the door. Remus waved.  
  
"And I, in case you didn't know," Sirius glared at Lyria, "Am Sirius Black."  
  
"It's nice to meet you all," Lily said, looking a bit bewildered.  
  
Cassi, who had taken watch with Remus, suddenly cried, "He's coming!"  
  
"Umm... see you later!" James said, and the three took off.  
  
"They're always like that," Lyria told Lily.  
  
The girls talked companionably until the train arrived.  
  
  
  
Lily sat at the Gryffindor table. All three of the boys had been sorted into Gryffindor with her, along with a fourth friend of theirs named Peter Pettigrew. Next to Lily sat a rather pointy-eared blonde girl named Lyndell Greenleaf. That left only Cassi and Lyria out of Lily's new friends to be sorted.  
  
Before them, however, came a greasy-haired boy named Severus Snape, who was immediately placed in Slytherin.  
  
"Strider, Casilda!"  
  
Cassi—who cringed at her full name—sat on the stool. After a few minutes on her head, the hat cried "Slytherin!" Lyria looked anxious and a bit alarmed, but Cass walked confidently to the Slytherin table.  
  
"Strider, Lyria!"  
  
"Gryffindor!" The hat screamed out the second it contacted Lyri's head. Lyria stood and went to the table, but still looked rather sad.  
  
After the feast—at which Sirius tossed carrots at Lyria in a vain effort to cheer her up—everyone went up to their rooms to get to bed early (except, of course, Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter, who were planning ways to torment the Slytherins).  
  
Lyria flopped out sadly on her bed. How could her twin sister be put in a different house than her? And not just *any* different house, but SLYTHERIN? It wasn't fair, she thought to herself as she fell asleep.  
  
  
  
When Lily woke up, it took her a few minutes to remember where she was.  
  
"Lily? You awake?" Lyria's voice asked from somewhere on the other side of the room.  
  
"Yes," Lily replied.  
  
"We need to hurry—unless you want to skip breakfast! We've got Potions with Slytherin first." Lyndell informed Lily. The three of them, it turned out, were the only first year Gryffindor girls.  
  
Lyndell stood waiting impatiently for the other two to pull on their robes. "Come on!" Lyndell sighed.  
  
Lily and Lyria hurried as best they could, and the three ran down the stairs, meeting up with four boys.  
  
"Did you even *try* to brush your hair?!?" Lyria demanded of James.  
  
"Yes!" He snapped amid laughter.  
  
After the breakfast, the group ran to get to the dungeons on time and just barely succeeded. Casilda, sitting with the other Slytherins, refused to look at her sister.  
  
As the lesson dragged on, Sirius flicked something across the room, and it hit Cassi. Furious, she stood and whirled around. The professor, to put it mildly, noticed. "MISS STRIDER!"  
  
Lyri stood up as well. "Which one, sir?"  
  
Lucius Malfoy, Severus Snape, and several other Slytherins snickered.  
  
Lyria fixed them with a withering glare.  
  
Class went downhill from there.  
  
  
  
It was about a week later when only three boys rushed down the stairs in the morning. "Where's Remus?" Lyndell demanded.  
  
"His mom's sick," James explained. "He had to leave to visit her."  
  
"Oh, I hope she'll be alright!" Lyndell looked concerned.  
  
"I'm sure she will be," Lyria put in. Lily voiced her agreement.  
  
And everyone accepted that Remus would be back again soon.  
  
Until it happened the next time...  
  
  
  
"He's hiding *something!*" Sirius insisted. "His mom just doesn't get sick for one night every month!"  
  
"It's always on a full moon, too," James commented.  
  
"L-leave it t-to James to notice that!" Peter said.  
  
"You don't suppose he's—" Sirius stopped abruptly.  
  
"W-what?" Peter asked.  
  
James and Sirius seemed to be on the same wavelength, as usual, because James grew solemn. "I think we should talk to him."  
  
  
  
When Remus slipped in the next evening, Sirius and James were waiting for him. (Peter had gotten detention for "accidentally" blowing up his cauldron during Potions.)  
  
"How's your mom?" James asked.  
  
"Huh? Oh, she's fine," Remus mumbled, not looking at his friends. Besides the three of them, the common room was empty. "What did I miss?"  
  
"Not much. Although, y'know, people are saying the Shrieking Shack down in Hogsmeade was really loud last night," Sirius said casually.  
  
"It always is on the full moon. You keep missing it, Remus," James added quietly.  
  
The brown haired boy looked up at them for a moment before sadly slumping into a chair. "You figured it out."  
  
"So?" The two asked at the same time.  
  
"Don't you guys care? I mean, doesn't it *bother* you? I'm a—well, you know." Remus looked at them uncomfortably.  
  
"We care, but it doesn't bother us," James assured him as Peter entered.  
  
"Couldn't we go with you or something??" Sirius asked.  
  
"I'm *dangerous* to humans. I'd bite you, you idiot, and then you'd be like me and it'd be all my fault. No way." Remus said flatly.  
  
Sirius considered for a moment. "What if we weren't humans?"  
  
Remus snorted. "Despite what Lyria tells you all the time, you *are* humans. And, while we're on the topic of things Lyria tells you, your head and your rear end are *not* the same thing."  
  
"Well... can't we transform or something? We're wizards!" James pointed out.  
  
Peter looked confused. "What's this about transforming and rear ends?"  
  
The others ignored him.  
  
"You mean, becoming Animagi?" Remus asked. "But that can be dangerous, and it's hard. Plus, you'd have to be registered, and then the Ministry would watch you..." Remus trailed off without adding that they watched him as it was.  
  
"Well, you're not going to stop being a werewolf, so we've got time to figure something out," was James' confident reply.  
  
"But there's so many rules..." Remus said.  
  
"They wouldn't be the first rules we've ever broken," Sirius put in breezily. "And besides, I'm trying to break the school record for most detentions."  
  
  
  
The year flew by, and the four of them kept Remus' secret, well, a secret. Not even the three girls knew. The spells they'd need to transform were easily found, but would take much longer to learn.  
  
And before long, exams were over and they were on their way home for two months.  
  
"Don't you go causing more trouble over the summer!" Lyria ordered the boys. "And Lily, if your sister gets too awful to deal with, owl me. My parents will let you stay over."  
  
Casilda walked over to her sister. "If you're all set, I want to go home." The twins had moved apart as time in their respective houses turned them into complete opposites, but despite that, they were still twins, and Cassi tried not to be too snippy with Lyri.  
  
Lyria sighed. "Let's go, then."  
  
The friends scattered, planning to meet at Lyria's at least once over the summer. Besides, the holiday was only two months long. They'd be back to Hogwarts soon.  
  
And then, James Potter thought to himself gleefully, who knew how much trouble they could cause... 


	2. Yule Balls & Secrets

Part 2: Yule Balls & Secrets  
  
(Year 5 at Hogwarts)  
  
  
  
Lyndell Greenleaf gasped. "Lyria? Is it really you?"  
  
Lily joined in. "I'm even impressed, and I helped you pull it off."  
  
Lyria Strider merely laughed. "Well, I couldn't have pulled off Operation Look Like A Girl without you two." It was the night before they would return to Hogwarts for their fifth year, and Lyria had asked her friends to help her look, as she put it, "more like a girl and less like my brother." And, she noticed, it seemed to have worked.  
  
Lyndell spoke so quietly Lyria almost didn't hear her. "Your hair is shorter than mine now, even." Snape had used a severing charm on Lyndell that had cut her hair from her waist to her shoulders, and for some reason it didn't want to grow.  
  
"Yours is pretty too, even if that idiot chopped it," Lily assured Lyndell. "I'm sure Remus likes it."  
  
Lyndell blushed.  
  
Lyria laughed. "You're both crazy! I mean, James is a nice guy, Lily, and it's great that you two started going out last year. And Lyndell, I'm sure if Remus ever gets the nerve to ask you out, you'll be a cute couple. But I'm still glad I really don't feel that way for anyone right now."  
  
"Not even Sirius?" Lily teased her friend.  
  
"Sirius Black?" Lyria stared rather stupidly at Lily.  
  
"He's nice. And he's cute," Lily pointed out.  
  
"He always makes you laugh," Lyndell chimed in.  
  
"*Cute*? Are we talking about the same Sirius Black? And he doesn't make me laugh, I laugh at him. There's a difference." Lyria replied.  
  
Lyndell and Lily just looked at each other knowingly.  
  
Lyria gave them an annoyed glare. "Come on, you two. You can't get romantically involved with someone you shared your fingerpaints with!"  
  
The three burst into laughter. It was good to be together again.  
  
  
  
They were sitting in their usual compartment the next morning when they were joined by four familiar faces.  
  
"James!" Lily cried immediately, making room for her boyfriend to sit next to her. The rest of the Gryffindors had named them the cutest couple in the house last year, and it was a source of never ending teasing from their close friends.  
  
"Aww, how sweet!" Sirius flopped into the seat next to Lyria. She was staring out the window. He stared at her. "Umm.. do I know you?"  
  
Lyri burst into laughter. "Oh, only the day after I was born! Who did you think it was?"  
  
"It's just you?" Sirius sighed disappointedly.  
  
Peter, sitting on the floor, was staring awestruck at the currently snogging James & Lily. "T-they haven't st-stopped in almost a minute!"  
  
Remus and Lyndell were talking in a corner and trying to ignore Lily and James. Lyria had gone back to staring out the window.  
  
Sirius, feeling rather lonely, amused himself by throwing Ever Flavor Beans at Peter.  
  
They passed the rest of the train ride making jokes and catching up.  
  
  
  
"I can't believe we're having a formal dance again. The Yule Ball is going to be even better this year," Lily was saying excitedly. The announcement had been made last night, and the three girls were discussing it on their way to Transfiguration.  
  
"Well, you've got a date," Lyndell sighed sadly.  
  
"You will too, Lyndell. You *know* Remus will ask you," Lyri replied.  
  
Lily gave Lyria a mischievous grin. "That just leaves you dateless..."  
  
"And *I* don't care. I'll have a good time with or without a date," Lyria assured her friends.  
  
They arrived then, and the conversation had to be put on hold.  
  
  
  
"So. When are you going to ask her?" James asked Remus. The Yule Ball was getting closer.  
  
"I can't just walk up to her and be like 'Oh, hey, I've had a crush on you for three years, want to go to the Yule Ball?'!" Remus started speaking quietly, but by the end he was rather shouting. As people in the common room turned to stare and Remus realized he was talking to James, he turned bright red.  
  
This caused Lyria, who was sitting in the corner doing homework and waiting for Lyndell, to begin laughing hysterically.  
  
Sirius entered from his usual detention, and Remus immediately pounced on him. "Are you going to the Yule Ball?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, thanks for reminding me," Sirius replied. He strolled over to Lyria. "Hey, Lyri!"  
  
"What?" She looked up from her parchment.  
  
"Want to go to the Yule Ball?"  
  
"Why are you asking me?" She looked at him slightly suspiciously.  
  
"Just in the interest of spending time with a good friend," he replied with a grin.  
  
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to behave yourself?!?"  
  
"Of course!" Sirius yelped indignantly.  
  
"Sure, then." Lyria went back to her homework.  
  
Sirius turned back to his friends. James was laughing, while Peter and Remus stared open-mouthed.  
  
"What?" Sirius asked curiously.  
  
"How... how... HOW DID YOU DO THAT?" Remus cried.  
  
"Remus hasn't got the nerve to ask Lyndell to go with him," James explained. Remus shot him a glare.  
  
"I'll ask her for you, if you want," Sirius offered.  
  
Knowing Sirius, Remus decided that probably wasn't wise. "No, I can do it." He walked over to where Lyndell was now talking with Lyria.  
  
The other three were staring over the back of the couch, watching their friend's progress. "Moony's never going to do it," James declared.  
  
"Think he'll pass out before he gets over there?" Sirius asked.  
  
"I-I hope not!" Peter squeaked.  
  
"No, he's talking to her..." James reported, then, "She said yes!" He declared triumphantly.  
  
Remus jumped at least a foot and a half at the loud, triumphant cheering from the other side of the couch. He returned to the group looking furious.  
  
"So... how'd it go?" Sirius asked innocently.  
  
  
  
The Yule Ball was not the only thing that was approaching quickly. In preparation for the next full moon, the group that called themselves the Mauraders had slipped out of Gryffindor Tower and into an unused classroom at about 1:30 AM that morning.  
  
"Ready?" Sirius asked excitedly.  
  
"Yeah. Are you *sure* you can handle it, Peter?" James asked.  
  
"Of c-course!" Peter replied, looking nervous.  
  
The three chanted the spell at once, and Remus laughed. "It worked!" Instead of facing his three friends, he was facing a greasy-looking gray rat, a white stag, and a giant black dog.  
  
There was a pop, and the stag turned into James. "We really pulled it off!"  
  
Sirius ran around the room, seeming to enjoy his dog form—until a paw landed on something sharp. He yelped and transformed back. "Bloody padded feet!" He cried, holding one hand.  
  
"Padfoot!" James laughed. "You suggested nicknames anyway."  
  
"Then you're Prongs, with those antlers of yours," Remus told James.  
  
"I started calling you Moony two years ago, Remus," Sirius added.  
  
A squeak came from the floor. James and Sirius helped Peter transform. "Can I be Wormtail?" He asked immediately.  
  
"Whatever makes you happy," James replied.  
  
  
  
The long-awaited day (at least for the girls at Hogwarts!) had finally arrived. Lily hurriedly pulled on her green dress robes. Lyria, meanwhile, was fighting with a hairclip that simply refused to stay in.  
  
"Two words: Not Happening," the mirror told Lyria.  
  
Lyri scowled. "Thanks for telling me the obvious!!"  
  
Lyndell, who was already dressed and ready out of nervousness, assisted Lyri with a charm that helped a great deal.  
  
After a bit more work, Lily turned around. "Everyone ready?"  
  
"We look good," Lyndell decided.  
  
"Good enough," Lyri said, after a last look in the mirror. "I'm only going with Sirius."  
  
With that, the three headed off.  
  
  
  
At the same time, the Mauraders were getting ready.  
  
Sirius, as usual, was being a smartmouth. "Do I look fat in this?" He whined in a passable imitation of Casilda Strider... of course, he'd *never* have tried that in front of Lyria.  
  
"You look lovely tonight, Padfoot," James joked.  
  
"Uh-oh, b-better tell L-lily to keep an eye on you!" Peter laughed.  
  
James and Sirius looked at each other as if considering this and then burst out into hysterics.  
  
Outside the window, it was dusk.  
  
"Remus, are you ready?" James asked the fourth member of the group.  
  
"Yeah, I'm just finishing this up for Astronomy..." Remus replied, then, "Oh, no."  
  
"W-what?" Peter asked.  
  
Sirius looked over Remus' shoulder. "Tonight's a full moon," he said quietly. Then he looked at his friend. "Moony?"  
  
Remus growled.  
  
Without a second thought, the others grabbed him and dragged him out of the tower.  
  
  
  
Lyria was getting very impatient very quickly. "Where *are* they?"  
  
"Maybe something's wrong?" Lily suggested.  
  
"If they don't hurry it up, something *will* be wrong!" Lyndell threatened.  
  
Lyria privately agreed, but said nothing. Then she spotted Frank Longbottom on his way down the stairs. "Frank! Are those four dipwits still up there?"  
  
"No, they left a while ago," he replied.  
  
Lyria glanced at her friends. "Thanks, Frank."  
  
As soon as he left, Lily began to cry, while Lyndell turned bright red with fury.  
  
"I'll kill him!" Lyndell declared, while Lily wailed, "Something *must* have happened. He'd never just do this for no reason!"  
  
  
  
The Mauraders didn't have time to worry about the three girls left in the tower. They had a werewolf to contend with.  
  
Remus had transformed totally, and he was a full-fledged monster. The others had quickly transfigured themselves and were trying to herd Remus down to the Shrieking Shack with little success.  
  
James heard Sirius yelp as Remus scratched him. Peter squeaked and scrambled away.  
  
Finally, finally, they managed to chase their uncontrollable friend down to safety—though whether for him or everyone else, none of them were sure.  
  
  
  
"All c-clear!" Peter whispered. James slid into the common room, followed by Sirius and Remus. Remus was still apologizing for having scratched Sirius.  
  
"I'm fine!" Sirius insisted. "Nothing a healing potion can't fix, and Lyria can make that, if I can't. Now let's get upstairs before we're attacked by furious girls!"  
  
"Wouldn't *that* have worked out nicely?" The sound of Lyndell Greenleaf's voice startled them all, but the color drained completely from Remus' face.  
  
Peter took the opportunity to scurry up the stairs.  
  
"Lyndell, don't be upset...." Remus began.  
  
The blonde exploded. "UPSET?!? You stood me up, you arrogant git! And to think I thought I loved you, Remus Lupin!"  
  
Lyria snarled. "So much for spending time with a good friend, Black."  
  
"You'd better have a *very* good reason," Lily demanded.  
  
"We do," Sirius assured them, backing away from the wand Lyria had pointed between his eyes.  
  
"We just can't tell you," James continued.  
  
Lyndell's growl was more frightening than any that Sirius or Remus could have produced. "Well you're going to tell us. Now."  
  
"I don't see how it's any of your business—" Sirius began, but Remus cut him off.  
  
"Thanks, Padfoot, but she'll figure it out anyway if you give her a month or two." Remus turned to Lyndell. "I... I'm a werewolf."  
  
"And I'm an elf." She replied.  
  
"I'm serious!" He snapped.  
  
"No, that's him," James pointed.  
  
"And we *don't* need more than one," Lyria put in.  
  
Sirius glared at them all.  
  
Lily sighed. "I think this is all going to take some explaining. We'd better sit."  
  
  
  
The group talked through breakfast. Luckily, it was the Christmas holiday and they didn't have any classes. Once they'd caught up on the information, they seemed to split into couples, and Lyria sat fornlornly by herself.  
  
"I'm getting out of here, you sick people," Sirius announced. "Hey Lyria, you want to come?"  
  
The two walked down to the lake. Sirius sat on the ground and tossed stones into the water, while Lyria sat on a huge rock.  
  
"So," Lyri broke the silence, "You can turn into a giant black dog."  
  
"Yep," he replied. "The guys call me Padfoot."  
  
"Padfoot. I kind of like that," she smiled. "But... can I call you Snuffles??"  
  
"No!" Sirius yelped, transforming into dog form and growling at her.  
  
She laughed again and scratched behind his ear.  
  
He transferred back with a cry of "Get off! That tickles!" When she continued, he pulled her off the rock and tickled her mercilessly.  
  
The others found them down there, still tickling each other, about half an hour before lunch.  
  
  
  
"You'd better owl me, you hear?" Lyndell was ordering Remus as they all stepped off the train. James and Lily had found someplace quiet to say goodbye.  
  
Lyria grabbed her trolley.  
  
"Come *on!* already!" Casilda yelled at her sister.  
  
Lyri smiled sweetly. "I'm coming!" She began to push the trolley even slower.  
  
Sirius laughed. "I'll owl you."  
  
"Okay." Lyria was watching Remus and Lyndell almost wistfully, as if she were saying goodbye to someone.  
  
Sirius brushed the thought aside. 'Remus and Lyria? No way. He's obsessed with Lyndell. Not happening.'  
  
Casilda stared impatiently at her twin. "Hurry up! Severus and his family are moving in next door, and we're taking him home."  
  
Lyria's jaw fell to her knees. "Severus Snape is going to live next door to us?"  
  
"Yes," Cassi replied.  
  
Lyria Strider could think of only one appropriate response to that. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" 


	3. Warnings & Pranks

Part 3: Warnings & Pranks  
  
(Year 7 at Hogwarts)  
  
  
  
"Would you two like your own compartment or something?" Sirius Black asked. James and Lily were at it again.  
  
They pulled apart, embarrased.  
  
Six of the closest friends Hogwarts had ever seen were sitting on the train in their usual compartment. The seventh, however, hadn't arrived yet. Students were still boarding, and Lyria Strider and her sister would be among them.  
  
As if on cue, Lyria entered, but in a very atypical fashion.  
  
She was crying.  
  
Since none of them had ever seen Lyria the tomboy cry, Lily and Lyndell jumped up to help while Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter looked at each other uncomfortably. The girls left the compartment.  
  
"Snape's being his usual friendly self. He put a hex on her kitten," Lily explained. "She was there when it was born & everything."  
  
"She's not the type to get upset over a kitten. And she's not hurt," James pointed out.  
  
"He's been like that all summer, though. He's her neighbor, after all. It was kind of the last straw when he went & attacked her pet." Lyndell replied.  
  
"Well, at l-least she's not hurt," Peter reminded them all.  
  
Remus was staring at Sirius. "Padfoot?"  
  
"I'll kill the greasy git." Sirius' dark eyes shone with fury.  
  
"She's not hurt. And I'm sure she'll give him his," James tried to calm his friend.  
  
"That's not the point!" Sirius roared. "He's been like that all summer, and I *know* she hasn't been bothering him. And he goes and hexes a kitten? Only a bloody Slytherin..."  
  
"Calm down, Sirius." Lyndell requested.  
  
"No! She's one of my closest friends!"  
  
The others looked at each other, wondering how long Sirius and Lyria would be 'just close friends.'  
  
  
  
It had been a long week of hunting in the library, but Lyria knew it was worth it. After repairing the damage to her cat, she'd discovered a clever bit of revenge in her Charms book.  
  
Of course, to enact revenge successfully, she'd need some help. She headed off to find Sirius.  
  
Somehow she thought the Mauraders would want to be there for this.  
  
  
  
Everything was going perfectly. Sirius and Remus were chasing Peter down the stairs. Peter looked behind him—innocently enough—and James, standing behind a statue, stuck a foot out to trip him. And, sure enough, Peter tripped—and flew right into Severus Snape.  
  
Books flew everywhere. Snape whirled on Peter. "Look what you did, you idiot!"  
  
"S-sorry!" Peter squeaked.  
  
Meanwhile, Lyria had stepped into the hallway and charmed Snape's precious Potions book.  
  
The second he touched it, his hair turned pink. The four Mauraders laughed—but Snape did not.  
  
"Which one of you did this?!?" He demanded.  
  
Lyria, behind him, cleared her throat.  
  
"You!" He bellowed.  
  
She put on her best mocking sneer. "Me. Good luck finding the counterspell," she snapped coolly before stalking off.  
  
  
  
"That was the best impression I've ever seen," Sirius congratulated Lyria later.  
  
"Thanks for the help, guys. It'll take him at least a week to stop looking for a potion and start looking for a charm." She laughed.  
  
The girls were still laughing as they headed up their dorm. Lyria left the photos Lily had taken sitting in the common room for all the Gryffindors to see.  
  
Once they were gone, James and Remus turned to Sirius. "When are you going to ask her?" James demanded.  
  
"Soon," came the reply.  
  
"You didn't have a problem asking her fifth or sixth year," Remus pointed out.  
  
"That was different. That was before I..." Sirius finished the sentence in his head. 'Before you fell for her. Admit it, you fool, you love her.'  
  
"Well, you'd better ask soon. She won't be dateless forever," James warned.  
  
"Yeah." Sirius continued to stare into the fire. "I know."  
  
  
  
Walking into the common room and finding Lyria alone was a miracle, and Sirius decided to take full advantage of it. "Let's go for a walk," he suggested.  
  
Lyria raised an eyebrow, but agreed. Once they were out of the castle, she asked him, "So, what's up?"  
  
"I can't hang around with you now?" Sirius asked indignantly.  
  
"I don't think this is just to chat or ask for homework. In case you didn't notice, we're by ourselves."  
  
"Yeah." Sirius gulped. "Well, it's kinda hard to ask a girl out in front of a crowd, y'know?"  
  
"I don't see a crowd. Go ahead and ask," Lyri gave him an innocent look.  
  
He returned it with an exasperated glare. "Lyri, will you please, please be my girlfriend?"  
  
"Of course." She slipped an arm around him. "Come on, Padfoot. We'd better go back before they all think we're off snogging."  
  
  
  
The Yule Ball was tomorrow.  
  
Lyndell was trying to fix her hair. "What do you think?"  
  
"Leave some down to cover your ears," the mirror suggested. "They're so pointy!"  
  
Lyndell stormed off to find a kinder mirror.  
  
Lyri gave up on the curling charm she was trying on her hair. "I'm afraid the guys have some sort of prank plotted."  
  
"It wouldn't be the first time," Lyndell called from the bathroom.  
  
"No, Lyri's right, and I think it's something big," Lily put in, sounding almost nervous. "Leave it to James, Head Boy and he goes and gets expelled."  
  
"Nah, the Head Girl will keep him in line," Lyria teased, and Lily blushed.  
  
Lyndell stepped out of the bathroom. "Well, here's hoping you two are wrong."  
  
  
  
"I told him how to work the Whomping Willow," Sirius told James. "If—no, when the nosy git follows us, he'll get it."  
  
They had decided not to tell Remus about their little plot against Snape. Both were sure he wouldn't approve of being used as an unknowing and uncontrollable weapon.  
  
"Are you sure about this, Padfoot?" James asked.  
  
"After Lyndell telling me how awful he was to Lyri all summer and the crap he's given us all these past six or so years, if he's stupid enough to follow us, he deserves whatever he gets." Sirius replied with a determined expression.  
  
James was silent.  
  
  
  
"Hey! Snape!" James hurried to catch up to the Slytherin Prefect.  
  
"What do *you* want?" Snape demanded.  
  
"Look, I know what Sirius told you. Just... don't follow us, okay?" James requested, then hurried off.  
  
  
  
"You were trying to kill me!" Snape lunged at Sirius.  
  
"Damn right I was!" Sirius barked back. James and Remus finally succeeded in pulling them apart.  
  
"Get your hands off me, *werewolf*!" Snape growled. Remus let go, and with a final glare at Sirius, Snape stormed off.  
  
Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs exchanged glances.  
  
  
  
Graduation came entirely too fast.  
  
Seventh years were all over the platform, crying and saying goodbye.  
  
"We all have to keep in touch," Remus declared.  
  
"Of course we will!" Lyndell replied.  
  
"Well, we'll all meet up when James & Lily get married, if not before," Sirius teased. They all laughed, but James conceded that it might happen.  
  
"That's more likely than any of you getting married," he pointed out.  
  
Far sooner than any of them wanted, they had to leave. Their time at Hogwarts was over.  
  
But, as Lily observed, it was not only an end, but a beginning... 


	4. After Graduation

Part 4: After Graduation  
  
  
  
September 1st, 1980...  
  
"Come dance with your boyfriend," Sirius demanded.  
  
Lyria laughed. "You mean all your duties as Best Man are taken care of?"  
  
"Hey, they're married. And I already gave Prongs the necessary medication."  
  
Nearby, the newly Mr. and Mrs. Potter were greeting old friends, looking like they'd been married for ages rather than hours. Remus was talking to Lyndell—it was a well known fact that the werewolf hated to dance—while she tapped her foot and glanced toward the dance floor.  
  
Sirius whirled Lyria gracefully. "Oh, there's something I do need to do actually..." he trailed off.  
  
"Why so nervous? You look like you're about to pee yourself," she teased him.  
  
He gave her a smile. "Well, who knows?" He kept firm hold of her hand. "Come on, you're coming too." He slipped his other hand in his pocket and led her toward the front of the room.  
  
"Sirius, what *are* you doing?"  
  
"Proposing."  
  
"What?!?"  
  
Lily watched the scene unfolding with a grin. She nudged James and gestured. "He's finally going to do it..."  
  
"Hope she says yes. It'd be just like her to say no just to embarrass him out of his wits." James replied.  
  
Lily laughed. "I don't think he has to worry about it this time."  
  
Lyria watched, jaw practically at her knees, as Sirius took the ring out of his pocket and knelt in front of her. She was nearly in tears. Her rather unconventional boyfriend, down on one knee to propose?? And nervous about it??  
  
"Fashion tip, Lyri, the mouth looks better closed," He joked weakly.  
  
Well... he'd never claimed to be a romantic.  
  
"Lyria, will you love me and fight with me and have little Padfoots with me?" He asked her. Despite the slightly teasing tone, his chocolate brown eyes gave away his nervousness.  
  
"Padfeet," she corrected automatically. "Get up." She kissed him.  
  
"Should I take that as a yes?" He asked her.  
  
"Yes! Yes, I will," she told him, blue-gray eyes still watering.  
  
He whirled her around triumphantly.  
  
September 1st, 1981...  
  
"You're the obvious choice, Sirius," James Potter pleaded with his friend.  
  
"I don't think it's wise. I'm too, well, obvious." Sirius sighed. "You know I'd be honored, but you know that anyone who's looking for you is going to assume I'm your Secret Keeper."  
  
"Do you have any better ideas?" Lily asked, holding baby Harry close.  
  
"Pafoo!" Harry cried, reaching baby arms out toward his godfather, who picked him up.  
  
Sirius considered this for a long while before making a suggestion. "Peter."  
  
"Peter??" Lily asked.  
  
"You'd have *never* thought to use Peter. No one would ever guess it was him. They can come after me all they like, but I really *wouldn't* know anything," Sirius pointed out.  
  
James thought about it as well. "You know, Lily, he's got a point."  
  
She nodded. "Peter it is, then."  
  
Baby Harry began to cry.  
  
  
  
  
  
September 16th...  
  
"I don't believe you!" Lyria snapped. "He's your best friend, and you're passing off the most important thing he's ever asked of you to someone else!"  
  
The night had started wonderfully. Sirius had come home, armed with flowers for Lyria's birthday. Over dinner, he'd casually brought up that he was trying to convince James to use someone else as Secret Keeper. Big mistake. The beautifully decorated flat had become a war zone.  
  
"I'm trying to protect them!" Sirius bellowed. "No one's going to think they'd use someone else!" He tried to calm down, but with little success. "Lyria, I don't know if I trust myself with..."  
  
"So you don't trust yourself? Then how the hell am I supposed to trust you?!?"  
  
"How is this about me now?" He demanded. "And if you agreed to marry me when you don't know you can trust me, you're the stupidest person I've ever met!"  
  
"THEN WHY DID YOU ASK ME TO MARRY YOU? Huh?!? Any reason you moved in here, or were you just after me for sex? Or information? Someone's been passing it on to the Death Eaters!!"  
  
"AFTER YOU FOR... ARE YOU ACCUSING ME?!?" That was it. He'd take almost anything from Lyria, but her accusations of betrayal he would not stand for.  
  
"EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO BE!" She barked. "And you aren't denying it."  
  
"I'M NOT DENYING IT?!? I shouldn't have to, we're engaged!! Ever since your damned Auror training, everyone's a traitor, aren't they??" He snapped.  
  
Lyria's eyes narrowed. "Maybe you should take your little motorbike and fly it the hell out of my life."  
  
"Sounds like the best idea you've had all night," He replied, slamming the door behind him.  
  
Lyria sat down on the bed in a state of shock, glancing at the flowers that rested on the pillow. So much for a nice night... and so much for telling him the news.  
  
What did it matter, anyway? She could raise a baby just fine all by herself.  
  
October 31st, Halloween...  
  
Lyria paced the flat anxiously. Since the evening of the fight, Sirius had returned once, a week later, to collect his things. It had taken her most of the month since she discovered for certain she was pregnant to collect the nerve to owl him. They'd agreed to meet at about nine that evening at the flat.  
  
"He'd bloody well better show up," Lyria told the orange cat pacing the floor. Sirius had given her the cat—Crookshanks—just after they'd moved into the house.  
  
It meowed and looked up at her curiously.  
  
  
  
Stopping at Peter's would only take a moment, and he had plenty of time to get to Lyria's, Sirius reasoned. He didn't want to get there too early anyway. Better make it look like he didn't care, just in case her news was she was marrying Severus Snape or something.  
  
Lost in thought, he arrived at his friend's door and knocked, flashing the peephole a rather rude gesture. No response. Not even footsteps toward the door.  
  
Sirius sighed at the waste of the gesture. "Hey! Wormtail! Answer your door!" Sirius called to his friend. No response. Pulling out his wand, he decided to let himself in.  
  
The flat was empty.  
  
There was no sign of a struggle, but Sirius couldn't think of anywhere that Peter would be, particularly as they'd arranged these meeting times in advance. It took him about thirty seconds to decide something was wrong. He raced off into the sky on his motorcycle, headed for the Potter home.  
  
  
  
By the time he got there, the Potter home no longer existed.  
  
Sirius was absolutely sure he was going to be sick. Kneeling where the front door used to be, he berated himself. This was his fault. He'd suggested they use Peter for Secret Keeper...  
  
"Sirius?" Hagrid's voice sounded entirely too loud behind him.  
  
Sirius looked up shakily. "James and Lily..." He was surprised he could say the names... he was the reason they were dead... "Harry..."  
  
"Harry lived." Hagrid said quietly.  
  
"How... how..."  
  
"No one knows."  
  
"Let me take Harry." Sirius managed to say. "I'm his Godfather..."  
  
"Can't. Dumbledore's orders." Hagrid put a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "It'll be alright."  
  
It wouldn't. It never would be. "Take the bike, get Harry somewhere safe," Sirius croaked.  
  
Hagrid nodded and left with the baby.  
  
Sirius left as well, on a mission of a different kind—to find Peter Pettigrew.  
  
  
  
It was an hour before Sirius finally tracked Pettigrew to the dark little alley. "Wormtail!"  
  
Peter turned around with an almost pleased look on his face. "James and Lily! Sirius, how could you?" Peter cried, as something fell from his hand. He placed both hands behind his back.  
  
It took Sirius an instant too long to realize what was about to happen. He reached for his wand in an effort to stop the rat...  
  
The flash was blinding, and no one noticed the rat scurrying away from the scene. Even if they had, no one there would make the connection besides Sirius himself.  
  
Muggles were screaming, and Sirius knew the Ministry Aurors were on their way.  
  
He stood, as if frozen. James and Lily were dead. Sirius had been right about one thing—everyone would assume he had been their Secret Keeper. Not even Lyria knew for sure that he hadn't been. Pettigrew was gone, after cutting off a finger and leaving it behind to make himself look like the victim. The Muggles who had witnessed it were hysterical, and they would give all the information they could against him.  
  
He glanced up. The Aurors had arrived—Lyria leading the group.  
  
He was going to wind up in Azkaban, arrested by the love of his life, for trying to help his friend and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  
  
In effect, it was the most elaborate and well-plotted prank Sirius had ever been the victim of.  
  
He laughed.  
  
November 1st...  
  
  
  
Lyria picked up the paper, sick to her stomach. He couldn't have. How could he have? The accusations from the fight came back to her. So did her decision that night.  
  
No, Sirius couldn't be a traitor. And no, she most certainly could not raise a baby by herself.  
  
She'd gotten the owl last night as she sat on the bed, bemoaning that she couldn't drink herself sick because of the baby. Sirius had never shown up, and she'd never been so pissed in her life. Immediately upon getting the owl, she'd taken off. It was something to do, after all, and a good way to vent the anger before she just exploded.  
  
She'd arrived to find a disaster.  
  
Bodies everywhere, screaming Muggles. A piece of finger—Peter's, she'd later discovered. And in the center of it, Sirius, laughing like a lunatic, clutching his wand.  
  
Lyria had sorted through the bodies, taking the more gruesome job no one else wanted. She simply couldn't force herself to drag Sirius off the scene. She didn't want to look at him.  
  
Would he have done it if they hadn't broken up?? They'd have been married by now. How couldn't she have suspected it at all? He must have been planning it earlier.  
  
Had he done it at all?  
  
Part of the blame was hers, she had realized. She had pushed him into being Secret Keeper, after all.  
  
If he was the Secret Keeper. If not, he was innocent of killing the Potters. But he'd still wiped out thirteen Muggles and poor Peter.  
  
And Cassi. Her sister.  
  
Cassi had been killed in the massacre. Lyria knew it was true—she had found the body herself, owled her parents and brothers, and signed the papers—but she couldn't bring herself to believe it.  
  
What a waste.  
  
She flopped onto the bed, fell asleep, and hoped she'd wake up to find it was all a nightmare.  
  
She didn't. 


End file.
